Running head: CAUSES OF DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS 1

A Study of the Causes of Depression in College Students

Addison Rothenbush

University of Central Florida

ENC 1102H Section 202

4/21/17
CAUSES OF DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS 2

Exploration of the Common Causes of Depression in College Students

Depression. Its been described as a black dog, a dark cloud, falling through a bottomless

pit, drowning, and many other poetic images that attempt to describe something so abstract. The

global rate of depression has been increasing around the world. An article in the IIliades (2013)

quoted the World Health Organization in stating that its now considered and epidemic, with an

estimated 5% of the global population suffering from it. A study of multiple studies done by

Ibrahim, Kelly, Adams, & Glazebrook (2013) about depression prevalence in college students

found that the rates of depression in college students are substantially higher than the rates of

depression in the general population. Every day more and more college students are diagnosed

with and begin to seek help for depression. Some universities, such as Franciscan University of

Steubenville, have seen increases in the number of clients for counseling. Beiter, Nash, McCrady,

Rhoades, Linscomb, Clarahan, & Sammut at the Franciscan University Counseling Center

(2015) reported a 231% increase in yearly visits from 2010-2014. Since so many college students

are suffering, I decided to find out why. What is causing this rise in depression in college

students? In my research paper, I will analyze and discuss three of the most common causes of

depression in college students.

What is depression?

Before identifying the causes of depression, it is important to first identify what exactly

depression is and how it works. In a narrated video written by Helen Farrell (2015), she stated

that depression is a mental illness that is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental

factors. Genetics affect how the brain develops and works. Studies show that brains of people

with depression have smaller hippocampuses, the part of the brain that controls memory and

emotion. This area of the brain gets smaller the longer the person has had depression. A video by
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ASAP Science (2014) said that studies show that stress may actually be a main trigger in the

decrease of new neurons in this area of the brain. Scientists are still learning about the definite

and specific causes of depression, but both genes and environmental factors that make depression

more likely have been identified. Certain genes, such as the serotonin transport gene, can

increase the likelihood of someone having depression (ASAP Science, 2014). Since genetic

factors are more difficult to regulate and observe, my research focuses on the environmental

factors, which, to some extent, can be changed. After going through multiple lists and articles

with varying causes of depression, I decided to separate my results into three categories: pressure

to succeed, relationships, and personal wellbeing.

Pressure to Succeed

The first category of causes can include any definition of what someone considers

success. It can include getting a great job, being rich, or having good grades in school. While

these are good goals to aim for, many of these areas are becoming more competitive and

therefore can cause false notions of failure when students try to compare themselves to others.

For example, the National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts page stated that fall

enrollment in colleges and universities in the US has increased by 21% from 1994 to 2004. This

makes it more difficult for a student to be the best in their class, but many current college

students have been told that they can be the best and therefore are disappointed when they arent.

College enrollment is increasing partially because so many students believe they need to get a

college degree to get a good job. This leads to competition because so many students are

aiming for the good jobs, such as CEO. This is an admirable goal, but not everyone can be at

the top of a company. When students compare themselves to the few who are at the top, they can
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become discouraged. This can lead to depressive thoughts about self-worth. Unfortunately,

getting a good job isnt the only cause of stress.

Psychologists performing a study at Franciscan University of Steubenville surveyed

students on which areas of concern most contribute to stress. The top 10 answers were academic

performance, pressure to succeed, post-graduation plans, financial concerns, quality of sleep,

relationships with friends, relationships with family, overall health, body image, and self-esteem

(Beiter, et al., 2015). At least three of these categories (academic performance, pressure to

succeed, and post-graduation plans) can be categorized into pressure to succeed, but other

concerns, such as relationships with friends, may also be put into this category depending on

how the individual defines success. Since, as I mentioned before, stress can be a contributor to

the decrease of new neurons related to depression, it is safe to assume that these sources of stress

are also likely sources of depression. To find more information about why these areas are

stressful, I did my own field research.

For my research, I interviewed three college students who have depression (personal

communication, March 5-31, 2017). I will refer to them as Students A, B, and C. When asked

about which factors contribute to their depression, all three students confirmed that pressure to

succeed has a large impact. Student A explained that they had always done well in school when

they were younger. As they grew up and school got more difficult, they felt extreme pressure to

continue to get the amazing grades they had gotten before. This led to stress and depressed

thoughts about how much more difficult it was to keep their grades up. Student B also felt the

pressure to succeed in school because of expectations set by their parents. Student C described a

similar situation concerning sports as they switched to a more competitive league. The pressure

these students faced caused stress that led to a deterioration of their health. When stressed,
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Student A began skipping meals and got little sleep from devoting so much time to studying.

Student C began stress eating and gained a concerning amount of weight. The stress alone was

enough to make their depression worse, but the added physical affects increased their depression

by adding more problems. This stress was difficult for all three students to get help for since the

stress was placed on them by the people around them.

Relationships

There are multiple types of relationships. They include relationships with family, friends,

love interests, and acquaintances. Each of these types of relationships can affect depression in

different ways. Some can be harmful while others may be beneficial. In the study performed at

Franciscan University, relationships with friends and relationships with family were among the

top 10 sources of concern. Though these two types of relationships are right next to each other in

the ranking, it is important to note that participants answered moderate to relationships with

friends more than relationships with family and answered extreme to relationships with family

more than relationships with friends. This indicates a distinct difference to the amount of stress

from each type of relationship, even though stress from these relationships is almost equally as

common. One reason for the difference may be that relationships with friends are helpful more

often than relationships with family are.

Of the three students I interviewed, all three stated that while some friendships cause

significant stress, family relationships are often worse. Student A reported multiple poor

relationships with family members. They said that their relationship with their parents was very

distant and they were always trying to please them. The emotional response they received most

often from their parents was disappointment and they received little praise for success because it

was expected of them. Their mother also has depression and often seems unable to put effort into
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their relationship. Student A felt they were constantly draining themselves to please their parents

and received very little in return. Furthermore, student A said that while relationships with

certain friends were stressful from trying to act the right way, relationships with closer friends

were helpful. Their friends were able to encourage and counsel Student A when they felt they

were unable to seek help from their family. However, Student A also claimed that seeking help

from friends caused new stress because they felt ashamed and guilty about their depression when

they opened up.

Student B reported a similar situation with friends, but a different situation with family.

Student B has two sisters who also suffer from depression. While they have great relationships

with these sisters, they often felt stressed when seeing these sisters struggle. Student B wanted to

help their sisters with their depression but felt unable to do so.

Student C had a similar family situation to Student B as they have a brother who also has

depression, but Student C was much more stressed by other relationships. Student C had extreme

difficulty in talking to new people and creating deep relationships. This lack of good

relationships caused distress and depressed thoughts in Student C.

All three of these interviews show that relationships are a double-edged sword. While

some are beneficial, others are damaging for a student with depression. Friends often are more

likely to build up each other and show support while family members are more likely to be

criticizing. This may be because family has more unconditional love, so they know that theyll be

loved no matter how much criticism they give. While this logic usually holds true, it can be

damaging to family relationships. Family relationships also include parental authority figures.

While parents usually try to show their children that they want the best for them, teenagers can

see their parents as oppressive or controlling. This can cause teenagers to pull away from their
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parents and make them unwilling to open up to them. This prevents parents from being able to

help their child with their depression since they may not even know that their child is struggling

with it. Even if the parents are aware of their childs struggle with depression, the help they

provide tends to be more authoritative, which can again cause their child to pull away. Since

parents are caretakers, pulling away means that the student with depression has more

responsibility to take care of themselves, which is difficult with depression.

Personal Wellbeing

The final category of causes of depression to be discussed involves both physical and

mental wellbeing. From the Franciscan University study, quality of sleep, overall health, body

image, and self-esteem would all fall into this category. Exploring Psychology by Myers and

DeWall (2016) stated that people suffering with depression often have difficulty taking care of

themselves because depression causes fatigue. If someone does not take care of themselves, it

can cause a cycle of depressed thoughts and poor health that is difficult to break. Depression is

both physical and mental, so it makes sense that the causes are both physical and mental. Since

depression makes it difficult to function, personal wellbeing is a concern among many people

with depression. College can make this even more difficult with prolonged study times and the

sudden dependency of teenagers on themselves. These factors can have direct effects on the body

and cause low self-esteem and depressed thoughts when the students realize the decrease in their

health.

Conclusion: Options for Change

Fortunately, there are ways to use actions to help depression. As part of my research, I

talked to Jade Garneau-Fournier, PhD, who is part of the clinical staff at UCFs Counseling and

Psychological Services. She explained how doing small things like eating a good meal or going
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for a walk can help replace negative thoughts with positive ones (personal communication,

March 21, 2017). These activities help increase serotonin levels in the brain and make us happier.

People with depression often wait until they feel better before doing anything, but Garneau-

Fournier suggested the opposite. She said that students suffering with depression should make

themselves get up and do something to help them feel better. Even something as small as getting

out of bed and washing your face can help. Also, eating and staying hydrated strengthen the body

and provide the energy needed to be active. Skipping meals can be detrimental, but eating a

healthy amount of food is a simple way to keep serotonin levels up. This means that physical

wellbeing can contribute to mental wellbeing just as much as it can hurt it.

Another way to help make depression easier to deal with is by fighting the social stigma

about mental health. The National Institute of Mental Health said that it takes the average

person suffering with a mental illness over ten years to ask for help (Farrell). Part of the reason

why it takes so long is that people suffering with a mental illness feel embarrassed or guilty

about asking for help. Showing support for the people who are struggling can help them feel

more confident about opening up and seeking help. To do this, we also need to make sure that

help is available. There are many organizations and counseling centers that offer help, but there

are certain times of the year, such as near finals week or over holidays, when these places are

booked and are unable to provide everyone with the help they need (Garneau-Fournier, 2017).

Expanding these programs will allow them to help more students. This would include hiring

more psychologists and opening the counseling centers on weekends, when currently some are

closed. Making the services more well-known will also help. Some students may not yet know

about the services available to them. Some students may also be scared to go because of the

social stigma around mental health. Making knowledge about the services more widespread and
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talked about may encourage students to go. These things are not difficult to do, but they may

have a large impact on the number of students who are able and willing to get help.

Though the depression epidemic is growing, scientists are gradually learning more about

it. At the beginning of my research, I asked what the causes of depression in college students are.

After completing research, I now answer that question with pressure to succeed, relationships,

and personal wellbeing. While there are many causes, some also help fight depression. Of the

three mentioned before, I determined that relationships and personal wellbeing both hurt and

help depression by analyzing the upsides and downsides of each cause. When it comes to

relationships, they can be anywhere on the range of helpful or hurtful depending on the qualities

of each individual relationship. There is no all-inclusive conclusion for whether relationships in

general are helpful or hurtful. Gentle and supporting relationships can encourage a person while

they struggle through depression while relationships with people who tend to criticize or demand

too much can be discouraging. For personal wellbeing, it can be a rollercoaster. If a student is

able to take care of themselves well, it will help their depression. However, having even one bad

day can cause damage. Missing a meal or getting too little sleep can have negative impacts on a

persons mood and can trigger depressive thought. Pressure to succeed is the only cause of the

three that has no apparent upsides. The pressure causes stress and causes students to panic or

freeze up rather than motivating them. While these causes are difficult to fight, they can be

worked on to help slow down and maybe one day stop the rise of depression in college students.
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References

ASAP Science. (2014, August 19). The Science of Depression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=GOK1tKFFIQI. Accessed 05 February 2017.

Beiter, R., Nash, R., Mccrady, M., Rhoades, D., Linscomb, M., Clarahan, M., & Sammut, S.

(2015). The prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of

college students. Journal of Affective Disorders,173, 90-96.

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.054

Farrell, Helen M.. (2015, December 15). What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-IR48Mb3W0. Accessed 12 February 2017

Fast Facts. (n.d.). https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98. Accessed 02 April 2017.

Garneau-Fournier, Jade. Personal Interview. 21 March 2017.

Ibrahim, A. K., Kelly, S. J., Adams, C. E., & Glazebrook, C. (2013). A systematic review of

studies of depression prevalence in university students. Journal of Psychiatric

Research,47(3), 391-400. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.11.015

Iliades, M. C. (2013, January 23). Stats and Facts About Depression in America.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/major-depression/depression-statistics/. Accessed 22

February 2017.

Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2016). Exploring psychology. New York: Worth , Macmillan

Learning.

Student A. Personal Interview. 05-31 March 2017.

Student B. Personal Interview. 05-31 March 2017.

Student C. Personal Interview. 05-31 March 2017.